1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer-automated interactive systems and methods of assessing the orientation, awareness and responses of a person with reduced capacity (hereinafter “PRC”). More particularly, the system and method is directed to addressing scheduling activities and specialized instructions for the PRC, monitoring their interactive responses to invitations to participate in the activities, and subsequently, determining whether their responses are corroborated by the actual detected activities of the PRC. The present invention further provides a computer-automated system and method of performing automated actions in accord with the responses and actual detected activities.
2. Discussion of the Background Art
Though the present invention may be applied to the benefit of any PRC, for ease of understanding, some of its applications are hereinafter explained with respect to elderly persons. Moreover, a PRC should not be construed narrowly and includes anyone (blind, aged, hearing impaired, inexperienced younger people, non-native English speaking people, crippled, mentally challenged, etc.) who would benefit from an interactive system and method for providing reminders. In the special case where the PRC is an elderly person, because the elderly are more apt to incur a wide range of reduced capacities, such as cognitive, sensory, physical, and emotional capacity, they provide an excellent context within which to explain the present invention.
The United State's population of elderly is expected to double to 70 million by 2030. Much of that rise is due to the 76 million baby-boomers that will begin turning 65 years-of-age in 2011. This shift in demographics in the Untied States (for example) will give rise to very serious emotional and financial stress to a greater percentage of people who are the younger members, responsible for caring for their more elderly relatives. The cost of care for elderly people can be prohibitive, even for middle-class wage earners. An important aspect of a well-balanced financial plan for a modern family is to encourage all family members to take care of themselves and be self-sufficient for as long as possible so as to avoid being a drain on the financial resources of the rest of the family, and/or having to apply for government assistance. In addition to providing an enormous market for technology, the elderly (and of course most PRCs, and their families) stand to greatly benefit from technological advances for at least the reasons stated below.
Two areas in which the elderly are often in greater need are activity and supervision. Regarding the former, the elderly are more susceptible to inactivity caused by general depression (e.g., loneliness and malaise), physical discomfort (e.g., arthritis and fatigue), and lack of opportunities (e.g., lack of transportation or forgetfulness of upcoming events). The later cause of inactivity frequently results from a Caregiver's failure to apprise an elderly person of available activities or failure to realize that activities are currently unavailable to that person. Regardless of the reason, the present inventors recognize there is a need to notify, or simply remind, the elderly of available activities and to monitor that they are generally participating in the same.
Furthermore, the elderly are also more susceptible to severe and sudden declines in orientation, awareness and responses, such as being due to severe depression and its symptoms (e.g., failure to eat); and severe physical ailment (e.g., strokes and heart attacks). Unlike the above-noted problems, which should not be overshadowed, severe depression and physical ailment must be immediately addressed to prevent permanent or persistent disability or death. Accordingly, there is a need to immediately notify a Caregiver of inactivity, suggesting such depression or physical ailment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,611,206, issued to Eshelman et al., is an example of a conventional technique for monitoring independent persons requiring occasional assistance. The system relies on the presence of a large number of different types of sensors (including video and audio), coupled with artificial intelligence programs, to monitor the activities of a person needing occasional assistance. In the several examples described, such as Example 1, cameras are aimed at a child sleeping in a crib, and a microphone is placed in a position to pick up sounds. A controller is programmed to recognize the normal look of the baby's face and recognize the sound of crying and produce a signal that crying occurs. The controller is also configured to analyze the facial expressions of the infant so as to determine whether the infant is crying, playing, in distress, or expressing other moods that may be remotely observed by a caretaker. In a second example, an elderly person lives alone and is observable via multiple video cameras and audio microphones located throughout the house. These sensors are able to recognize the activity level of the person and when used with a controller, are able to assess their particular mood. For example, using artificial intelligence, the system may be trained to recognize frustration in detecting the elderly person's utterance of periodic clipped speech using words indicative of a negative mood.
The present inventors have recognized that a limitation with conventional approaches such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,611,206 is that elderly people merely need occasional assistance, and have no interest in losing their dignity by having all of their activities monitored by “Big Brother”. A common limitation with elderly people is forgetfulness. A system such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,611,206 would be overly intrusive simply for the purpose of reminding a person about a particular planned activity.
There are conventional scheduling software applications, such as MICROSOFT OUTLOOK, that permit users to schedule an event, to generate messages reminding themselves or others that the event is impending, to generate invitations requesting a response as to whether the invitee will attend, and to monitor the responses of the invitees. With the advent of digital networks, e.g., the Internet, scheduling applications have further permitted users to perform these functions via remote devices; and to remotely receive and respond to the reminder messages and/or invitations. Thus, presumably, some Caregivers might try to use a conventional scheduling application to schedule an upcoming event, notify an elderly person of the event, and determine whether that person intends to attend the event (e.g., via R.S.V.P.). It bears mention that the success of such an endeavor may indicate the elderly person is not a PRC in need of such services.
FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing a conventional process for monitoring the activities of a PRC. The process begins in step S101, where specific sensor tags are attached to objects whose movement indicates daily activities of the PRC. For example, the sensor tags would include a toothbrush, coffee mug, and other objects that typically would be used by a PRC who is functioning self-sufficiently with regard to those particular objects. Subsequently the process proceeds to step S102, where the sensor tags are also attached to particular devices associated with taking the PRC's medications. As an example, the sensors may be attached to the medicine cabinet doors, pill boxes, or pill dispensers. Subsequently the process proceeds to attaching sensor tags to the elderly person's body, perhaps in the form of a bracelet, and attaching smart sensors to where the measurement of the respective sensors indicate specific psychological conditions. As one example, the sensors may be placed in the person's shoes in order to indicate the regular/irregular gait of that particular person.
The process then proceeds to step S105 where the movement of the respective sensors are analyzed to determine the level of activity of that person. The process then proceeds to assess the data received by the sensors arranged in step S104 to determine the specific psychological condition of the PRC. Based on the data received in the above steps, the process proceeds to step S107, where the Caregiver is notified of inadequate or irregular activity where indicated by the above process steps.
Further, many operating systems, add-on software applications, and specialty devices make the user interfaces of such scheduling applications more accessible to PRCs. As a result, presumably, some computer-literate PRCs might use scheduling applications without the on-site assistance of another person, regardless of the nature of their impediment.
Further, sophisticated systems are currently available that monitor the activity of a PRC at arms length. For instance, sensors are currently employed to detect whether a PRC has awakened and used a bathroom facility. Intel Corporation is reportedly testing a system of sensors and devices for the elderly that issues medication reminders and determines an elderly person's level of activity. General Electric is similarly reported to be testing a system that detects abnormal behavior of an elderly person and accordingly transmits an automated alert of that behavior to a Caregiver.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a web-based system for sending photographs to be displayed on a photoviewer 1100 for people who are not computer literate. CEIVA (see www.ceiva.com) sells a receiver 1100 that looks like a picture frame, but is able to display digital photographs sent to if from a server 1105. Moreover, a family member uses their computer 1103 to upload their photos to the server 1105 via a network (such as the Internet and/or public switched telephone network). The receiver 1100 at a predetermined time (e.g., 2 AM) dials into the server 1105 and downloads photos to the receiver, which are then displayed as pictures in a photo frame. This system is quite convenient for people who are not computer literate, such as many PRCs, because once the system is set up, they need to do nothing, yet they are able to view updated photos sent from family members. Family members upload the photos by logging on to the www.CEIVA.com website and responding to the prompts on the web page to upload photos to the server 1105.
As the inventors of the present invention have recognized, none of those products provide a computer-automated system and method of assessing the orientation, awareness, and responses of PRCs by remotely scheduling activities for them and then monitoring their interaction with the system, such as “yes”, “no” responses to invitations to participate in those scheduled activities. It follows that none of the products compare a PRC's responses to such invitations against a sensed activity of the PRC; and none of the products permit a remote programming of automated actions that are performed in accord with the PRC's responses to such invitations and/or in accord with whether the PRC's responses and sensed activities are congruous with one another.